I have a 2002 Mini Cooper S with 65,000 miles. All the upkeep and maintenance repairs were done at the BMW/Mini dealership in Manhattan on West 57th Street in a timely fashion and it is a well maintained car. However, this car has overheated three times. Each time, all the suggested repairs were done. This last time, the dealer says the engine may be damaged because after the thermostat has been replaced, the car is "still running hot"...they won't know what is causing the problems until they put another $5,000 in labor diagnostics and can't guarantee it will even be drive-able. Apparently, they must take apart the head gasket?

The car has a blue blook value of up to $7500 and is in otherwise excellent condition, and never had many problems... there are 65,000 miles on the car.

Is there a mechanic out there or fellow mini driver who can help recommend a trustworthy mechanic in Manhattan? I feel there must be something that can be done, especially since I have always maintained the car... this doesn't make sense to me. Any help out there?

 

If you were in mass, I'd have some suggestions....sounds like going to the dealer for you is a dead and $$$ end. Most independant shops charge far less then the dealer...heck, those $$ they a quoteing you are crazy...good used head is only $500-600, plus install...to tell you $5000 is carzy...you can drop a good used motor in that car for that!?
I think they are sending you the message they don't want to deal with you/your car....$5000 is a lot of diagnostics...at even $200 an hour...sound like they could do a frame up dissembly/reassembly for that price!!
I would get a copy of all the records, that what has been done so far, and take the car to a local shop...heck even not so local if you need too...NJ or CT is not that far away....I'm sure someone will suggest a local place here...and it is common fot headgaskets to fail after a couple of overheatings, as it is for the head to possibly warp if it is not cracked, causing the overheating.
There are a number of simple things that can cause a car to overheat...some mini specfic beyond the thermostat, like cooling fan fuse getting blown by the ps cooling fan...etc. A quick search will give you tons of info.....but it sounds like you are planning on paying $$ for someone to fix it...so go to a good mini centric shop.

 

2002 models had the radiator fans and the power steering fan on the same circuit. If something 'jams' the PS fan, it blows the fuse disabling the radiator fan - leading to overheating.

Check the PS fan to make sure it is functioning properly. There was a 'fix' by the dealer to separate the two circuits, might check to see if this was done on your MINI...

Ken

edit: You might also check with your local MINI club for recommendations on repair shops:
Hampton Roads Club MINI
Long Island MINI Enthusiasts
MINI Club of W. NY
Tier Mini